About Adam Burgasser

My work defined the T dwarf spectral class, discovered the first halo brown dwarfs, and measured how these objects pair up and how their magnetic fields behave. I helped characterize the seven terrestrial planets of TRAPPIST-1, and recently observed undepleted phosphine in a cold brown dwarf atmosphere.

I also study how people learn science: video-based instruction, project-based and embodied learning, and the graduate-level skills students are rarely taught directly. With Genevive Bjorn, I co-authored How to Critically Read the Scientific Research Literature: Introducing the CERIC Method (Cambridge University Press).

I grew up in Buffalo, New York, earned my B.S. in Physics at UC San Diego and my Ph.D. at Caltech, and held Hubble and Spitzer fellowships before joining the MIT physics faculty and returning to UC San Diego. I have been a Fulbright Scholar at Exeter and a visiting professor at the IAC and the University of Bern.

I recently completed a term as Vice-President of the American Astronomical Society, served on the National Academies Astro2020 Decadal Survey panel, and have testified before Congress. In 2026, I was named an AAS Fellow. I am also a member of the UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame.